Tentatively dipping a toe...

[English_Gent]

Good day everyone,

I just signed up here as I'm hoping to start adding a touch of class and refinement to my wardrobe, something I have intended to do for a long time but for whatever reason kept putting it off.

I do love vintage style but I don't really have a particular favourite era, I think really I just like stylish hats and hanker after a bygone age (any of them really: old west, victorian, 20's/30's) where society encouraged men to dress smartly. Oh and lovley old cars with proper curves.

Anyway, enough waffle and to the point of the matter! I have a black corduroy blazer of which I am very fond but I never actually wear it as I don't have anything else to go with it. I'm hoping to correct this. I do rather like waistcoats so I was thinking of buying one along with some trousers.

Here is a similar blazer to mine:

I'm not really sure what to go for, I had read somewhere when wearing mismatching jackets, trousers and waistcoats to pick colours which look different enough at a distance - so it does not look like you're trying to make a suit out of odd items.
I was thinking perhaps a grey waistcoat with some sort of patterned trousers? Dogtooth or check perhaps. Or maybe charcoal trousers and some other kind of waistcoat? Maybe even a dark green? I am really not sure though and would be very grateful for any advice or ideas.

As much as it saddens me to say so I am not going for a particular vintage look, I just don't have the gumption to commit to it that much. I hope not to offend by saying so as I have nothing but admiration for those here who do and you may, perhaps, quite rightly question why I am on these forums in this case.
I simply want to add a touch of class and dress perhaps as a modern gentleman ought to.
As they say, fashion is fleeting, style is eternal. Or words to that effect.

Apologies for the length of my post, I'll endevour to keep things more succinct in future.

Best wishes,

Paul.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Even though I cannot help you in co-oridination of you jacket, I would like to welcome you to the Lounge

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Also, for everyone else, here is the jactet he is refering to:

 

[English_Gent]

Thank you for your warm welcome sir, much appreciated .

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Light gray flannel trousers, cream or light gray tattersall vest (waistcoat).

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Light gray flannel trousers, cream or light gray tattersall vest (waistcoat).

THis sounds good. Make sure the pants & vest (or as you Brits call it, a waistcoat) match each other, & you will have a smashingly good outfit.

 

[resortes805]

That blazer would look nice with some high waisted pink rayon slacks with black cross hatch flecks.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

That blazer would look nice with some high waisted pink rayon slacks with black cross hatch flecks.

I hope that you are joking.

 

[resortes805]

I hope that you are joking.

dead serious.

 

[J.J. Gittes]

That blazer would look nice with some high waisted pink rayon slacks with black cross hatch flecks.

I can dig it!

 

[English_Gent]

Light gray flannel trousers, cream or light gray tattersall vest (waistcoat).

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I must confess I'm having a great deal of trouble sourcing a tattersall vest which I can actually afford, do you think another pattern for these colours would also be acceptable? Perhaps a different check?

 

[KILO NOVEMBER]

Who knew? I would have thought that you could get one for a good deal less, but can't say that I've shopped for one. If I really wanted to buy one cheaply for myself, I'd look for a second-hand clothing store (a charity sort, rather than a commercial one) in Fauquier County, VA. It's what we in Virginia call "hunt country". These seem to be sold on "horsey" web sites. Fauquier County is about an hour's drive south and west.

Since the Virginians got "riding to hounds" from their British forebearers, perhaps you aren't too far away from some of those English villages whose churches hold "jumble sales"?

As an alternative, I'd look for suede in yellow or light gray.

 

[Edward]

Alas tattersall is expensive (not to mention dashed hard to find in anything other than typical colours that I don't think would 'go' with your outfit...). Hunting is, of course, a very different beast in England than the US; here it is the preserve of the Upper Classes, in the main, who tend not to be short of the scratch for clothes, hence it tends to be high end stuff. Try eBay, though... I found some great ones on there at a more sensible price.

A corduroy blazer is a somewhat more casual beast than a flannel blazer, IMO... You could get away without a waistcoat (though a dove grey one is a good idea). For trousers, try a mid grey flannel; I also really like your suggestion of a houndstooth check pattern pair in black/white. I have a pair of Daks I found on eBay in as-new condition for a fiver in that pattern - they look superb with both solid black and navy. To finish off that look, I would go for a nice pair of laced Oxfords or Brogues, in black - or, if you have the cash to spare and are feeling saucy, a rich burgundy shade. Add a nice scarlet-toned tie (either four in hand or, for a more relaxed feel, a cravat), and a nice white shirt with cufflinks, and you're good to go. The next step will be a fedora.....

 

[English_Gent]

Fantastic. My sincerest thanks gentlemen for your excellent and most helpful advice. I think I'm going to like it here .